Blaze
by LightSpeed Athlete24
Summary: RikuXOC. Watanabe Miharu was an average girl who just moved in Japan. But fate brought her to Riku, which completely changed her life. She became Riku's pretend "girlfriend", but as time passes, they begin to like each other. Complete summary inside.
1. Chapter 1: Meeting Riku

**Blaze**

**Summary:**RikuXOC. Slight SenaXSuzu. Watanabe Miharu was an average girl who just moved in Japan. But fate brought her to Riku, which completely changed her life. She became Riku's pretend "girlfriend" and started to hang out with Sena & Co., but as time passes, they start to develop feelings for each other. Being his "girlfriend" was already enough, but what if she also becomes Enma University's secret hero in amefuto? What will her life be like? Sorry, bad summary. Please read and review!

**Setting: **Enma University (That means Sena, Riku, Suzuna, Monta, Kurita-san, Unsui-san, Mizumachi, and Kotarou-san are in college)

~I'll call the group of Sena, Riku, Suzuna, and Monta as "Sena & Co.", to make it shorter.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Eyeshield 21**

**A/N: **Hello! This is my first fic ever. After I first dreamt of this, the ideas just keep rushing to me! I can perfectly picture it in my mind as an anime!...hehe...but when it comes to writing stories, well, let's just say that I'm better off daydreaming my ideas than putting it to a story. This being my first story ever, please be gentle with me. (*puppy dog eyes*) Hehe..but I can accept criticism and please tell me how I did, and tips on how I can get better! Thanks!

[Oh, and do tell me if the characters are in character or not. And if there are grammar mistakes or other kinds of errors, please let me know! Thanks again!]

**Symbols:**

" " - for speech/dialog

' ' - for thoughts

All inner thoughts will belong to Riku, for now. Later, it may belong to other people.

**~o0.0o~.~~.~o0.0o~.~~.~o0.0o~.~~.~o0.0o~**

It was a fine Sunday for Sena & Co. The group decided to shop for stuff at the mall.

"Ya! Sena! Rikkun! Mon-Mon! Hurry up!", the ever-so-cheerful-and-energetic Suzuna shouted to the worn-out trio of American Football players. "It's already evening! The mall closes in 3 hours!"

"I'm already tired MAX...(*pant*)..." Monta sighed. The other two nodded.

"**All this walking around sure made my feet tired**." Riku complained. "Doesn't she ever get worn-out?" He took a break and sat on the steps of the broken escalator. Soon, the other boys also sat down. Monta sat down beside Riku, and Sena on the other elevator. Suzuna, noticing that the boys weren't following her anymore, turned around and became annoyed at the scene that she saw. She stomped her way to where the boys were sitting with an enraged look on her face.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING GUYS? WE'RE NOT HERE AT THE MALL FOR RELAXING! WE'RE HERE TO SHOP AND HAVE FUN! NOW COME ON! HURRY UP!" Suzuna roared.

"Alright, alright! Yeesh! We hear you! You didn't need to yell at us." Riku grumbled. "Tch. Girls." he muttered to himself. They were all still picking their ears from the loud outburst Suzuna just made.

"She's becoming more and more like Hiruma-sempai. All she's missing are his guns." Monta whispered to Riku. They both chuckled, causing her and Sena to look their way and wonder what they're doing.

"Hey, what's that you're talking about Rikkun? Mon-Mon?" Suzuna asked. "I think I heard you saying something about You-nii..." The two boys quickly shook their heads. "It's nothing! Honest MAX!" Monta quickly answered. She raised an eyebrow at Monta's sudden reply. He and Riku were nervous and shaking. Finally, Suzuna just gave up on them. Both sighed in relief.

"Riku's right, Suzuna. You need to calm down a bit. Besides, we _were_ tired. Can't you please let us relax, even for a bit?" Sena said, trying to appease her.

"Hmm...I guess...There is still time, but only for five minutes! After that, we'll continue shopping. Deal?"

"Deal!" The three boys shouted in unison.

Suzuna joined them and sat down beside Sena, which made him blush lightly. After that, there was silence. The boys seemed okay with it, but not for Suzuna.

"Argh! I can't take the quietness anymore!" Suzuna exclaimed.

"For crying out loud, Suzuna. It only has been 30 seconds and you can't take it anymore? Geez, can't you take it easy for just 5 minutes?" Riku grumbled. Suzuna looked down on her feet, ashamed. She muttered, "Sorry." Silence once again took over. Everything was quiet until,

***GROOOOOOWWWWWWL*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

"Ano, who was that?" Sena asked. Everybody looked at each other with confused faces until Monta finally admitted.

"MUKYAA...it was me. I'm so hungry MAX..." Monta puts his hands to his stomach. Suzuna agreed. "Me too." Suddenly, Suzuna spotted a stand selling takoyaki, which was fortunately the group's favorite snack.

"Hey guys! Look! A takoyaki stand!" Suzuna's eyes were lit up with excitement. The boys looked to where she's pointing and became excited too, especially Monta.

"Yoshi! Dash MAX!" Suzuna stood up and ran after him. "Hey! Wait up!" She suddenly stopped and called out to Sena. "Sena! You come too! You're the one holding our money!" She rushed towards Sena.

"Eeehhh? Why do I have to-", but he was cut off when Suzuna suddenly grabbed his hand, (which made him blush again), taking him with her, and made a dash toward the stand.

"To the takoyaki stand!" Suzuna announced while pointing to the stand. "HIIIIEEEEEE!"

"Oi! Don't forget mine too!" Riku called out to her. He sighed and looked at them. 'Poor Sena.' He thought to himself. He watched the other shoppers shopping _**[A/N: What else could they be doing? Duh.] **_to entertain himself while waiting for the trio to come back. Two minutes passed and they still haven't came back.

'Geez, what's taking them so long? It doesn't take an hour to just order some food!' Riku was getting impatient. His thoughts were interrupted when a serving of takoyaki appeared in front if his face.

"Here you are Rikkun!" Suzuna happily gave him his takoyaki. Riku "coolly" accepted it and said "Thanks." They all returned to their seats, eating. After they were done eating, Sena offered to throw away the remains of their snacks.

_**[A/N: I don't know what they call it, but it's where you put the takoyaki in. I don't know if there is such a thing in Japan, but here in our country there is. It's plastic, and disposable. It also comes with plastic forks?]**_

"Haaa, that did the trick! Arigato MAX!" Monta contently said.

"Hi hi..." Suzuna giggled "...oh look! The five minutes are up! Come on guys! Let's go!" She was about to grab them when Riku suddenly interrupted her.

"Wait, Suzuna-chan."

_**[A/N: Um, I'm not sure if Riku addresses Suzuna with "-chan". Please tell me if he does or doesn't. But for this story, I'm sticking with "Suzuna-chan" as Riku's way of addressing her.]**_

"Huh? What's the matter Rikkun?"

"Can I just stay here? You know, like taking care of the bags? You know you shopped for a lot of things, so **I was thinking maybe **you could leave these with me so when YOU GUYS shop again, you don't have to worry about carrying these heavy bags." Riku slyly offered. Suzuna thought about this, and came up with an answer.

"Hmm...alright then! Make sure you guard those bags really good!" She then pulled both Monta and Sena to come with her.

"Unfair MAX!" Monta tried to protest, but he and Sena were already being dragged by her. Sena just sighed in defeat and went with her to shop for more things.

"Heh. Don't worry, I will..." Riku smirked. Finally, he can relax instead of walking around following "Queen Suzuna" while she shops for stuff. He was having a peaceful, quiet time, when two people caught his attention; one was a nice-looking woman along with a teenage girl. The girl was wearing a purple T-shirt with stars and stripes, blue denim jeans, and rubber shoes. Her hair was up in a purple star-shaped ponytail, and she was wearing a brown body bag. He assumed she was around his age. But what caught his attention isn't the girl,but rather what the two were talking about.

_"Oka-san?"_

_"Hai? What is it, honey?"_

_"Ano, __**all this walking around sure made my feet tired**__...and I__** was thinking, maybe **__I could sit down while you go shop? I mean, it's not like I'm the one doing the shopping...onegai? (please?)"_

_"Ha ha...ok honey."_

_"Arigato oka-san! Hmm, let's see..._(*turns head around looking for a place to sit*)_...ah! How about there?" _She points to where Riku is sitting, although she doesn't seem to notice him. She was too concerned with the seat to notice other things.

_"It's fine with me. Remember to stay where you are, ok? I'll be back soon." _The mother kissed her on the forehead and waved goodbye.

The girl sighed in relief and began walking towards the broken escalator. Riku began noticing this. 'Didn't she still notice me?' Riku was confused, but then he gave up and continued doing what he was doing.

The girl finally got to the escalator, and sat down on the opposite of Riku. _**[A/N: Take note, she still didn't notice him! Ha! I think that's impossible, but anything IS possible in the anime, dream, and fanfic world! Hehe..]**_

She sighed in relief _**[Again.]**_, and then leaned on the glass near the escalator. Riku took a brief break from looking around the mall, watching the shoppers, etc. to turn to the direction of the girl on the opposite side of him. He saw her putting earphones in her ears. 'Must be for an I-Pod...' he thought to himself. He also saw her eyes closed. 'Must be sleepy..."

His thoughts (and the silence) were broken as two teenage girls approached him. One has long, curly, reddish-brown hair while the other one has long, straight, yellowish-brown hair. Both were wearing spaghetti tops, frilly skirts, stylish boots, and different accesories and what-nots.

"Hey there Riku-kun! Whatcha doin' here at the mall alone?" the auburn-haired girl asked him. This sudden outburst of hers caused the other girl, the one wearing the purple-shirt, to look their way. Riku became irritated at the remark, but he never showed it on his face, being the "cool" person he is.

"Just so you know _Karin_, I went here with my friends. I am not alone. I just stayed here to look over their bags." Riku replied, trying his best not to lose his cool. "And don't call me 'Riku-kun', we're not even close."

"Not YET! Just see! We will become close and there's nothing you can do to stop us!" She declared. "Yeah, that's right!" the blonde girl agreed. Riku just rolled his eyes.

"Unless..." Karin started. "...you have a girlfriend, ne, Riku-kun?" He rolled his eyes once again. "So I guess you don't have one, huh?" Karin then happened to turn around and saw the purple t-shirted girl who was still staring at them.

"Hmm...I presume that SHE is your girlfriend then?" She said this while pointing her finger at the girl. Riku was taken aback. He never expected Karin to do this. 'What the heck? I don't even know this girl!' He tried his best to not blush, and fortunately, he didn't. All he could do was to keep quiet to avoid making things worse. Riku's assumed "girlfriend" just sat still and didn't show any signs of movement.

"I was just joking Riku-kun. Of course she isn't, right? I mean come on! Just look at her! Her "fashion" doesn't stand up to ours, and her style is like 'Bleh.' Not just that, she seems so...so...plain! Unlike you, who's handsome, cool, and popular! Hello?" Karin stated in a-matter-of-fact tone while waving her arms in the air. The girl she was talking about was getting annoyed, but no such indications were shown by her. She was just quiet and listening to every word Karin had said.

"Oh, Riku-kun! Could you please wait a little bit here? I'm just gonna check out a shop nearby ok?" Karin flirtatiously asked Riku. He rolled his eyes. 'Disgusting.'

"I'll take that as an ok. Come on Emi!" She told the blonde girl who was beside her. Soon the two were out of sight. Riku sighed in relief, now that the two girls were gone. 'Thank goodne-'

His thoughts were cut off when the girl beside her, his supposed "girlfriend", held out her hand to him. "Come on, let me help you." she said with a smile.

"Excuse me?" asked a puzzled Riku.

"They were annoying you, weren't they?"

"I wasn't annoyed..." He lied.

"Hmm...ok then. Then I suppose you won't mind if they come back and start flirting with you again..."

"...fine."

The girl then smiled and held his hand and moved closer to him. _**[A/N: Take note, she's stil on the opposite side.]**_Riku didn't know why, but after she did that, he blushed. (but only lightly.) '...oh, I see. Her plan must be to make those two believe that we're really in a relationship. And to do that, we need to do this...I sure do hope this'll work...' He thought to himself.

And just like on cue, the two girls came back holding lots of shopping bags. Karin saw Riku, but she still didn't notice what he and the girl were doing. She called out to him. "Riku-kun! Sorry for making you wait! It's because I saw many beautiful clothes, and-" Her words were cut off by what she saw. She finally noticed that the two were holding hands, and she stopped in her tracks. She just stood there, it's just like time had stopped for her.

"Um, hello? Earth to Karin! Hello?" Emi said, trying to snap her out of it. Luckily for her, Karin recovered from the shock she had and regained her posture.

"Sooo Riku-kun...are you showing us that you ARE in a relationship with that girl?" She glared at Riku's "girlfriend".

"What does it look like to you?" He replied without looking at her, his chin is rested on his palm. While he may not be paying attention to her, inside he is really hoping that she would believe it. But unfortunately, luck is not on his side.

"You seriously think that I'm gonna believe that you two are dating?" Karin stated, with the flick of her hair. "Really, just a while ago, you acted like you two were total strangers and when we came back, here you are! So what if you are holding hands? I could also hold your hand if I want to! Don't tell me that in the time we were away, you two just became boyfriend and girlfriend out of the blue! What? Did you just go like, 'Hi girl-whom-I-don't know! Would you like to be my girlfriend?' Blah, blah, blah something like that? And after that you are now in a relationship with HER (*glares at the girl*) and dated happily ever after?-"

'I knew it wasn't going to work. Not only that the plan was ruined, now I also get to hear a sermon from "Ms. Annoying" herself, about me and the girl dating being IMPOSSIBLE.' Riku just sighed. Little did he know or notice that his "girlfriend" was listening to the "lecture" of Karin very carefully.

"-so in other words, I don't believe that you two are actually 'dating'. You don't have actual proof do you now?" Karin said, ending her long talk.

'Proof...Heh. If only there was something, SHE (Karin) won't be able to continue annoying me...' Riku sighed, he was deep in thought. But because he was, he didn't notice the girl standing up from her seat, and walking towards him. He only realized it when he saw her standing right in front of him.

'What to do? If I don't at least show her that we're "dating", then-eh? Why is she standing in front me?'

He saw her leaning...towards him. Then he heard her whisper something to him.

"Sorry." Riku was confused. Why would she say that? Was she going to do something that'll make him angry? Then, she DID something to him, it wasn't unpleasant, and neither was it pleasant. But he sure didn't expect that to happen, and neither did Karin.

She kissed him...in the cheek. Karin and Emi were shocked. (well, it's mostly Karin, but anyway!) Riku froze in his seat, unable to make any movement or sound. A blush was starting to form until it was spread across his face.

'W-what? D-did she just-?' Poor Riku was lost in thought. The girl pulled away from him, (if Riku was only looking at her, he would see her blushing too) but he still wasn't moving. He only snapped out of it when Karin suddenly spurted out a protest.

"Hmph! J-just because you k-k-kissed him on the cheek...IT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING! Ahem. Anyway, it was just on the cheek! Anyone can do that! Even friends! Do you get what I'm saying?"

Riku shook his head. "Nope, sorry." Karin was fuming with anger. "Argh! (*sigh*) Okay, what I'm trying to say is, anyone can give anybody a kiss on the cheek! Even I can do that!...if you'll allow me, that is. Hehe." Riku rolled his eyes in irritation. "If you really want to prove that you two are, in fact, DATING, then how about another kiss...on the lips? Do you dare?"

Riku thought about this. If he did this, then his problem will finally be solved! But, there is one problem. How the heck was he going to do that to her? She was a total stranger to him! He blushed at the thought. 'Hmm...maybe that isn't really necessary at all...' Riku smirked, he had a plan. He wasn't really sure if this would work, but he was still going to go with it, and at least try to pretend to be confident and be his usual "cool" self.

Without anyone expecting something again, he pulled out a hand, grabbed the girl's waist, and pulled her closer to him. He forced her gently to sit on his lap and put his chin on top of her head. He removed her ponytail and began stroking her hair. This made her eyes widen and it also made her blush fiercely. Karin and Emi just stood there and gaped at the so-called "couple" with disbelief.

"Sorry, I don't think I can do that to my 'girlfriend'. You see, she's shy and doesn't want to get mushy in front of other people. But that's what makes her even cuter..." Riku said with a smirk. The girl blushed even harder at his last remark. Karin, on the other hand, was not. She was furiously mad. (or jealous for that matter) She really doesn't want to believe it, but with all this "evidence", well...

_**[A/N: Riku was so acting like a total playboy in that scene! Hehe...]**_

"Hmph!...Fine, then. I'll admit that you two are in a relationship, but don't think that I'm through with you Riku-kun!" She said, with a bit of dissapointment and anger in her eyes, eyes which she used to glare at Riku's "girlfriend". "Listen up girlie! You may be lucky this time, but the moment you two break up, is the moment me and him will get together!" Riku was disgusted at what she said, but he didn't show it on his face.

"Hmph! Come on Emi! Let's go!" And with that, Karin turned around stylishly and walked away, with Emi following her. When the two were out of sight, Riku sighed. He didn't realize that the girl was still on his lap and he's still holding her close to him. They stayed in that position for a few seconds until she finally decided to speak up.

"...ano...can you...maybe let go of me now...?"

"Oh! Sorry." Riku was embarassed and quickly backed away from her. But he still didn't notice that he was still holding her hand. She, on the other hand, was aware of it but didn't say a word. She just let things the way they were.

A few minutes had passed. Neither were saying a word to each other, maybe because they were embarassed because of what occured earlier and were self-concious. They were each doing something by themselves, Riku was watching the shoppers again, while the girl was listening to some J-Pop and other Japanese songs on her iPod. When she got kinda bored, she pulled out a snack out of her bag, a box of chocolate "Pocky"s. She realized that she can't open the box using only one hand, so she finally decided to confront Riku about this.

"Do you want some?" She offered him. Riku looked her way and saw her holding a box of Pocky's in her hand.

"Sure."

"Okay, but first..." She pointed to their entwined hands. Riku finally realized this, and pulled his hand to him and muttered "Sorry.", trying his best not to blush. The girl giggled and opened the box. She took one first and then offered Riku some. He gratefully took one and said "Thanks." The two then started eating. They took some again when they were done with one. When the box was almost empty, Riku decided to talk with her.

"I'm really sorry about earlier. It was the only way I could think of so they would leave me alone...without kissing you..." He lowered his voice at the last part.

"No, it's okay. You don't need to apologize at all. It was just a part of your plan and you just weren't able to say it to me beforehand, right?"

"Yeah...you're right." He smiled. Then the girl smiled too. She continued to nibble another pocky for a while, then suddenly, she remembered something.

"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Watanabe Miharu. You can call me Miharu." She said with a smile and held out a hand, as if convincing Riku to shake hands with her.

"All right. Then I'm-"

"Kaitani Riku, former ace running back of the Seibu Wild Gunmans. Right?"

Riku had a puzzled look on his face. "How did you know?"

"Well, you see, I'm a really big fan of American football. I really loved it when Team Japan participated in the High School American Football World Cup! You guys were awesome! Especially when you fought against the Americans, it was really cool!" She exclaimed.

"Hehe...thanks. I think this is the first time I've met a girl being a fan of Amefuto." Riku smiled.

"Huh? What do you mean? When I went to watch the Fall and Kanto tournament, I thought I saw many girls in the audience too..."

"Yeah, there were. But I think they only come to see the aces play. I don't think they even love the game as you do." Riku explained. "They especially love Sena, a.k.a Eyeshield 21."

"Oh...I see...well, you're an ace too, right? If that's the case, don't you have lots of fangirls too?"

"...no, I don't think so." Riku replied. "Most of them are Sena's."

"Huh? Why is that?" Miharu asked. Riku looked at her with a confused look. "Because he's the great Eyeshield 21, the man with super light speed, why else would they fall for him?"

"No, I mean yes. Of course he's awesome with his light speed and all, but I think he doesn't deserve all the credit."

"What makes you say that? If he doesn't deserve it, then who else does?"

"You of course."

"...why me?"

"Well, he wouldn't be this famous if it weren't for you right? I mean, you are the one who taught him to run, right?"

Riku was surprised. No one has ever told him that before, neither has anyone credited him before. Most of them just praise Sena, not him. Riku felt happy inside when she said that.

"Th-thanks. I didn't think anyone would ever say that to me. Even Suzuna-chan nor Sena doesn't." Miharu just smiled. "...wait...how did you know that?"

"How did I know what?" She asked.

"How did you know that I was the one who taught Sena to run? The only people I know that I have told it to are Sena's former teammates, Suzuna-chan, Mamo-nee, and some of my own teammates from Seibu."

"Oh, that." She nervously laughed. "Well, remember when a guy bumped into Anezaki Mamori-san? Then after that, you and Sena met? Well, I was there and I kinda heard you saying about being his big brother or something then I think Sena was the one who said you were the one who taught him to run...s-so, I'm really sorry about that." She bows down sorrily.

"Hehe. It's alright. It's not like it's a secret or anything." Riku smiled. Then they both laughed. But their moment of amusement was only brief because it was interrupted by Miharu's mother.

"Miharu! It's time to go now!" Her mother called out to her.

"Oh, oka-san's here. Sorry, I have to go now Kaitani-san." She closed the empty box of "Pocky"s, stood up, and threw it in the trash can. Riku also stood up and followed her.

"Ok, but please, just call me Riku."

"Ok then Riku-sa-I mean Riku." They both laughed. "Oh! I don't know when will we'll meet again, so just in case, I'll give you my phone number and address." She said.

"All right. In exchange, I'll give you mine." They gave each other their numbers and other info.

"Ok. Well, bye now!" Miharu waved goodbye.

"Wait."

"Huh?"

"Can I at least accompany you? You know, because we might not see each other for a while?" Riku requested.

"Um, I don't know. I don't want to waste any more of your time...and I might be a bother to you..."

"Come on. Just think of it as my way of saying thanks for the help earlier."

"H'm, ok then." They both smiled and started walking. Riku was walking beside her the whole time. When they finally reached where Miharu's mom was standing, she approached her.

"Oka-san, I'm here."

"Oh, you're finally here. Well, who's this? A new friend of yours?"

"Ah! Yes. Oka-san, this is Kaitani Riku. Riku, this is my oka-san."

"Nice to meet you, Watanabe-san." Riku respectfully said to Miharu's mom.

"Nice to meet you too, Kaitani-kun. Tell me, how did you two end up being friends anyway?"

"Well, you see, Miharu-chan here," (She blushed at the '-chan' part in her name when Riku said it.) "she helped me a lot earlier."

"Oh really?" Miharu's mom looked in the direction of her daughter and gave her a teasing smile. She blushed at her mom's gesture at her. She muttered "Oka-san..."

"Well, it's nice knowing that my daughter has finally made a friend here in Japan. And she made a nice choice of picking you to be her friend."

"Thanks ma'am."

While they were still having a conversation, Suzuna, Sena, and Monta had already gone back from their shopping trip and gone to where they left Riku. But when they got there, they didn't see him.

"Are? (Huh?) Where's Rikkun?" Suzuna asked. The two boys shrugged their shoulders. They started looking for him until Suzuna finally found him talking to a girl and a woman.

'Hmm? What's this? Rikkun with a girl? Hi hi hi...and also a nice-looking lady? I wonder, is he being introduced to this girl's mom? More importantly, is she Rikkun's girlfriend?' Suzuna thought to herself. She was giggling and squealing with excitement. Sena and Monta looked at her with confused faces.

"It's nothing...hi hi...you two wait here and hold the bags, I'll go somewhere for a while."

**Meanwhile, with Riku...**

"Well, I still want to chat with you Kaitani-kun, but it's time for us to go home. Until we meet again then." Miharu's mom waved to him and turned around.

"Bye Miharu-chan." Riku waved to Miharu.

"Bye." Miharu smiled, and went after her mom.

Riku just stood there after they left. It's like he completely forgot about guarding the bags and Suzuna and the others. He didn't even to go back to the escalator or look behind him. That's when...

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. It looks like Rikkun has completely forgot about us."

Riku turned his head around and looked behind him. "Suzuna-chan. Are you already done with your shopping?"

She nodded. "How come you weren't at the spot where we left you when we came back? Is it perhaps you were meeting with your _'girlfriend'_? Hmm?" Suzuna teased.

"She's not my girlfriend. I just met her here and became friends." Riku replied to her.

"Just friends? Really now Rikkun?"

"Give me a break." Riku sighed. "Come on, let's go home already."

"Okay. Hi hi...eh? What's that purple thingy in your hand?"

Riku looked at his hand and saw Miharu's ponytail. 'Crap! I forgot to give it back to her! Oh well, might as well return it to her when we meet again.' Riku faced Suzuna. "Oh, this? It's nothing. Just stuff that I found while you were away."

Suzuna gave him an "I-don't-believe-you" kind of look. Riku just smirked. The two went back to where Sena and Monta were.

"(*yawn*) I'm sleepy MAX...can we go home now?" Monta whined. Sena nodded.

"It is getting late now. And besides, we still have school tomorrow." Sena pointed out to the gang.

"Ok. Let's just pay for these and go home." Suzuna said. Both nodded and yawned again. Riku let out a chuckle. They paid for all their things and went home.

**At Riku's room...**

"(*sigh*) I'm so tired." Riku took of his shoes and changed into his sleepwear. After he was finished, he noticed his cellphone beeping and saw that he had 1 message. He decided to know who sent that text and why.

_Ano, Riku? This is Miharu. Ano...you don't suppose to have my ponytail, do you? Please reply._

Riku looked at the ponytail he had set down on the table and smiled. He started texting back to her.

_Yeah, I have it here. Don't worry about it. It's in good condition. I assume you want it back then?_

Riku sat down on his bed and waited. He let out a yawn and rubbed his eyes. He then heard his cellphone beeping and looked at her message.

_Oh...well, that's nice, but I don't know when we'll meet again...so, it's kind of a problem..._

He thought about it, and suddenly had an idea. He started replying to her.

_Well, how about I keep it? I mean, sort of like a memento of the day we met and became friends...something like that...is it ok with you?_

Just after he pressed the "SEND" button, he realized what he texted to her and wanted to take it back. When he started creating a "sorry" message, his cellphone suddenly beeped. Confused, Riku looked at the text.

_...um...I guess it's okay...I mean, it's not like it's a very important object or something...just, promise me you'll take care of it...ok?_

Riku sighed. He smiled a little when he remembered her message. He never thought that she would entrust him with something quite important to her (even if she said _**"it's not like it's a very important object", **_it's obvious that the ponytail holds some kind of importance to her, _**"just, promise me you'll take care of it...ok?", **_which kinds of proves that it's quite important...get it?). He texted back to her.

_Are you sure it's okay? Entrusting it to me? Even if you only knew me for almost an hour?_

Even if Riku was glad that it was possible that she trusted him, he still needed to be sure. So he looked at his cellphone once again and saw that he had 1 message.

_Sure...it's okay with me...even with those few minutes that we were together, I could tell that you're a really nice person. I had this feeling that I can really trust you, even if I didn't know many things about you yet. Don't worry about it._

Riku sighed in relief. His doubts were finally erased and he smiled. He replied to her.

_If you're really sure, then okay. Don't worry, I'll be sure to take care of it really well...thanks for trusting me. Good night._

Riku closed his cellphone and put it down on his table, not expecting any reply from her. But when he was about to lie down, his cellphone beeped. He let out a little groan, but stood up to pick up his cellphone again. He read the message she sent and smiled. He put down his phone again and finally lay down on his bed. He leaned to the side and closed his eyes. He smiled while remembering what she texted to him.

_Okay. And please...don't doubt yourself. I really trust you, and deep inside my heart, I know you are a truly kind friend. I hope we'll meet again soon...good night, too, Riku-kun..._

'Miharu-chan, I wonder when we'll meet again...'

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**Whew! Finally finished! Um...I think this chapter is too long...sorry about that. But I couldn't divide it into chapters 'coz it only has one idea, the meeting of Riku and my OC. Well...how did it go? Is it okay? Please review and tell me what your thoughts on this story were...Thanks a lot!**

**Oh! And I'm now starting to write the next chappie...but first, could anyone out there help me? I need to know whether those who attend college at Japan wear a school uniform or not...and if they do, could please give a description or something like that so I can picture it in my mind? Thanks a lot! Oh! And one more thing...could anyone (again) tell me what subjects they study in Japan? Thanks again! ^_^**

**~LightSpeed Athlete24**


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting the Gang

**Hi guys! It's me again. Thanks so much for those who have reviewed...I hope I get more, but seeing as this is just an OC story, I don't expect much from it. Still, because of the nice comments I received from the friends I have shown this to, I decided to keep on writing! Hehe...sorry if this took long, 2 months? It's just that, I haven't had the time...I'm always busy with school... T_T ...and if I have free time, I always get distracted...gomenasai. Anyways, here's chapter 2!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Eyeshield 21.**

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It was just another day at Enma University, the start of the second month of school. Riku sighed as he played with the purple star-shaped ponytail in his bag. He still didn't know why he brought it with him to school. Still, he can't seem to forget what had occured yesterday. He still remembered the events clearly as if it just happened yesterday...(oh wait. It did happen yesterday...hehe...well, anyway...) He still remembered her face, her hair that smelled so sweet, her sweet and caring smile, her soft hand entangled with his, her lips on his cheek...

'Ack! Why the heck am I thinking these kind of things?' Riku blushed and sighed as he put his hand to his head and started staring into space. He wasn't paying attention to one certain girl who was already sneaking up towards him, Monta, and Sena.

"OHAYOU!" Suzuna suddenly yelled, startling the boys. Riku was suddenly jolted back to reality while the other two nearly fell out of their seats.

"S-Suzuna...please don't startle us like that again..." Sena was still recovering from the slight shock he had earlier.

"MUKYAA! Why do you always have to be so loud!" Monta bawled.

"Me? Noisy? You were the one who was yelling just now!" Suzuna yelled back.

"Nani? (What?) It's because of you that I'm yelling now! You're annoying MAX!"

"OH! So now I'm annoying you? I was just saying good morning to you! Isn't that supposed to be nice, and not annoying?"

"How was that supposed to be nice? You nearly gave us a heart attack!" All their other classmates were now looking at them.

"Guys, please calm down. Please don't fight." Sena said to them, hoping to soothe them. "Look, the others are staring at you two now." He whispered to them. The two slowly turned their heads to see the crowd of students with intent looks on their faces. They sat down in their seats with embarassed look on their faces. They both mumbled "Sorry." to each other. During all the commotion, Riku just stayed quiet. After that, the teacher went in.

"Ohayou." A tall man with short, spiky, black hair appeared in their classroom. He was wearing a dark blue suit over a white long-sleeved shirt, dark blue (silk?) pants, a red tie, and black shoes. All the students stood up.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Kuroda-sensei." They all said in unison, then sat down when their sensei acknowledged their greeting. As soon as Riku sat down, he started staring at the ponytail in his hand. He wasn't paying attention to what their sensei was saying.

"Okay, everyone can I have your attention please? I am pleased to announce that someone new will be joining us today." Kuroda faced the door and signaled someone there. "You may come in now. Don't be shy." He said with a smile. "H-hai." A voice was heard just outside the door. As soon as Riku heard the voice, it made him think.

'That voice...could it be?'

A girl with semi-long, semi-straight,semi-black hair walked in. Many whispers and comments about her were being given.

"Heh..a girl, eh?"  
"(*sigh*) I thought it was a boy..."  
"Woah...she's pretty cute..."  
"Hmph! She's not _that _pretty."  
"I think she looks kinda weird..."  
"If you ask me, she's nothing special."

The girl quickly turned around and face the blackboard, embarassed by the comments she heard about her. Kuroda-sensei put his hand on her shoulder and smiled to her to make her feel less timid. His attempt succeeded as the girl smiled back at him, picked up a chalk and wrote her name on the blackboard.

_**'Watanabe Miharu'**_

"Ohayou. I'm Watanabe Miharu. I-I just moved here...so please be gentle with me." She said while bowing down.

"Hey Karin." Emi whispered to her. "Isn't she that girl from yesterday? Riku's girl-"

"Don't even think about calling _her _that!" Karin hissed.

"Okaay, soorry...but you can't deny it, right? I mean, yesterday they were holding hands, Riku hugged her, she ki-"

"Okay! I know it already, you didn't have to remind it again." She scowled at Emi. It was obvious that she's still annoyed (or jealous) of the "fact" that she and Riku were going out. She grumbled and sighed. 'Watanabe Miharu, eh? So we meet again...'

"I hope to be friends with all of you...it's nice to meet you all." Miharu added.

"I hope so too, Watanabe. You may now sit down over there, in the fourth row, right next to the window." _**[A/N: Yay! She got a window seat! Random comment. LOL.]**_

"Arigato, sensei." She started to walk to her seat. But because she was only looking at it, she failed to notice Karin putting her foot in to her right side. This made Miharu stumble a little, but not fall. She heard a snicker come from behind her, but she ignored it and went to her seat. Riku saw this, and even if he felt a little annoyed, he decided to just relax and hope Miharu's okay. Once she sat down, she rested her chin on her palm and sighed.

'Looks like this will be one tough first-day-of-school.' She sighed once more and closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was..._purple_.

'Are? (Huh?) What's this?' When the object came into focus, she couldn't believe what she saw. A purple star-shaped ponytail!

'No way...c-could it be?' She immediately turned to her right side, and then, he saw..._him_.

"Riku? I-It is you! I can't believe we're classmates now!" She was thrilled to see her friend again.

"Hehe. Nice seeing you again, Miharu-chan." Riku smiled.

"I didn't know you were also studying at Enma...! I almost can't believe it...I mean, we've only just met yesterday, and now, we've come across each other again...hehe."

'She's really beaming with happiness...' Riku thought and smiled. "Me neither. So, what made you come and study here?" He asked.

"Well, I could have studied at other universities...but my mom suggested to study at a nearer one to save time and money, and Enma Univ. just happened to be the closest one to our home. I was kinda against to it at first, but now that I know you're here, I'm glad that I studied here after all..." She smiled once more. Riku found her smile quite contagious, because everytime she did that, he found himself wanting to smile too.

"Heh. I'm kinda glad you did too..." Riku said. Then they both smiled (again). _**[A/N: Woah, they sure smile a lot...hehe..]**_

"So...I see you've been really taking care of it, huh? My ponytail, I mean." She began.

"Oh, yeah, I have..."

"Ano...Riku? It's nice to know that...demo, (but,) when I said that you can hold on it...I didn't mean you need to carry it with you always...I think you took it too seriously..." A faint blush can be seen on her face.

"Wait Miharu-chan. It's not what you think it is! I just happen to bring it with me...besides, you were able to notice me because of your ponytail, weren't you?" This statement of Riku made Miharu giggle, and made him confused.

"Hehe...it's nothing. It's just that, I'm glad you're just keeping your word...that's all." She smiled, and Riku did the same. Before they knew it, class was over.

"That will be all. Please study about the next topic. Goodbye for now." He said, walking towards the door. But he remembered something, and suddenly stopped.

"Before I forget, I would like someone to assist Watanabe Miharu for the day, show her around the school or something. Good day." And with that, Kuroda-sensei walked out of the room.

'Ack! The discussion! I totally missed it!' She had absolutely forgotten about class while she was happily chatting with her friend, Riku. "No way..." She moaned. Riku noticed this, and decided to ask her about it.

"Daijobu desu ka, (Are you all right?) Miharu-chan?" He had a quite concerned look on his face.

"Ah! It's nothing!...well...um...you see...I was so happy to meet you again that I forgot to listen to the lesson..." She began sniffling a bit.

"...you...really feel down because of that...?" He was a bit surprised at her sudden sniffling. He didn't think that it's such a big deal...well, to him anyway.

Miharu nodded. "Y-yeah...you see, I don't know what's with me, but I kinda like studying...you...must think that I'm weird, right?"

Riku shook his head. "No, it's not like that. It's just, I was just kind of surprised, that's all. I didn't think that you were the studious type. It's because when we met, you were all cheery and energetic, kind of like Suzuna-chan. I guess I was wrong to judge you. Gomen."

"...it's okay...it was kind of awkward though, I was way too serious, and it's just my first day..." She chuckled. This made Riku chuckle too. (Let's fastforward.) It was already lunchtime.

Riku stood up from his seat and signaled Miharu to come with him. "Come on, I wanna introduce you to Sena and the others." She also stood up and followed him. "Hai!" She said, excitedly. They walked to where Sena, Suzuna, and Monta was sitting.

"Ohayou." Riku greeted them.

"Ohayou." They greeted back. Upon seeing the girl, Suzuna got curious.

"Hiiiii new girl! What's your name?" Suzuna asked her in rather cute voice, that of a little kid. But instead of her, Riku did the answering.

"Ah, that's right. Guys, meet Miharu-chan, she's a friend of mine."

"Hello." She said to them rather timidly.

"Hi!" Sena, Suzuna, and Monta said back with a smile.

Riku chuckled at Miharu being a bit shy. "All right, then Miharu-chan, these are-"

"Taki Suzuna, former captain of the cheerleading squad of Deimon. Kobayakawa Sena, a.k.a Eyeshield 21, former ace runningback of Deimon Devil Bats. And Taro Raimon, former ace catcher of Deimon Devil Bats." Miharu said while pointing at them one-by-one. 'And she cut me off once again.' The three just blinked in surprise. Riku chuckled at their stunned faces.

"Hehe. I forgot to tell you that she's a really big fan of amefuto, she even knows the names of the almost all the Japanese players. Don't worry, I was also like this when we first met. But still," he was trying to hold back his laughter, "you should see your faces." He finished, trying to hide the look of hilarity on his face. Monta noticed that and got annoyed, while Sena, as usual, was trying to calm his friend down. Suzuna, on the other hand, was deep in thought. Miharu took note of this, and tried to get her attention.

"Ano, Taki-san?" As soon as Suzuna heard the word _Taki-san, _she freaked out. "Are you o-"

"Aaah! D-don't call me by my last name! And being called _-san _makes me uneasy, so don't! Call me by my first name!"

"Ah! G-gomen! Gomennasai! I'm really sorry!" Miharu bowed down many times to her. Suzuna sweatdropped.

"Eh...daijobu (it's alright). Ehehe..." Then, she suddenly remembered something. "Ah! I remember now! You're that girl who was with Rikkun over there in the mall yesterday!" Suzuna exclaimed and looked in Riku's direction.

"Oh! You were there yesterday too? It's too bad I didn't get to see you there too...wait...Rikkun?" Miharu slightly raised an eyebrow at Riku and looked back to Suzuna with a confused face. Suzuna grinned.

"I forgot to introduce you." She moved toward Riku. "This, is Riku, a.k.a, _Rikkun. _It's a nickname me and Mamo-nee made up for him!" Riku scowled at her.

"Rikkun huh...?" Miharu chuckled.

"Not you too Miharu-chan." He sighed and facepalmed. "I already told you to stop calling me that Suzuna-chan. It doesn't suit me. Plus, I'm not a kid anymore."

"But it does suit you! You're with me, ne, Miru-ru?" Suzuna nudged Miharu by her elbow. She blinked her eyes. It was obvious that she was surprised by the name Suzuna gave her. "M-Miru-ru?"

"What? You don't like it?"

"You know, you could've picked a better name for her." Monta commented.

"Suzuna...I think you're acting too close with Watanabe-san. I mean, we just met her...and you've already gave her a nickname...ehehe." Sena nervously laughed.

"Ah! It's not that! I-I was just surprised that Suzuna-chan already treated me like a friend, that's all." Miharu smiled.

"So...do 'ya like it?" She was eager to know her answer.

"It's okay. I think it's kinda cute. Hehe. Oh! Can I ask if you have names for Kobayakawa-san and Raimon-san? I'm kind of curious."

"Yeah! They have! This is Mon-Mon and..." Suzuna paused. '...that's right, I don't have one for Sena...' Riku noticed this "suspicious" pause and made a mental note to himself.

"...this is Sena." She continued.

"Oi, oi. Why doesn't Sena have one? Unfair MAX!" Monta complained to her, and turned back to Miharu. "Anyway. Don't listen to her Miharu. Just call me Monta!"

"Hai!" She chirped. "It's so nice to meet you all." She bowed down. Then, something lit up in Suzuna's mind.

"Hey! I have an idea! How about you join our group? That's okay with you guys right?" The boys nodded.

"J-join your group? Oh wow...do you really mean it?"

"Of course!"

"...hai! I'd love to join you!" Suzuna squealed and hugged Miharu. "Now we can be really close friends!" She shouted with excitement.

"...too...tight...*gasp*...can't...breathe..." Miharu was gasping for air. "Wah! Sorry!" Suzuna let go of her and helped her stand up. Both girls then giggled.

"Well, since we're friends now, let's do things together!" Suzuna turned to the boys. "Excuse us boys. But we're going somewhere for a while."

"Sure, take your time." Riku said. With that, Suzuna clutched Miharu's arm and headed to the girls' washroom. After they had left, Riku took the opportunity to have a "talk" with Sena.

"So, Sena. I noticed that you're the only one among us who doesn't have a nickname given by Suzuna-chan...mind telling us why?" He raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah! How come? Look at Miharu, she's just new and she was already given one by Suzuna! Something's fishy here..." He examined Sena and looked at him suspiciously.

"Ch-chotto matte! (wait a minute!) I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Sena claimed, but the two doesn't seem to believe him. "Oh really?"

"Ano...eto...(well...um...) m-maybe she thinks my name's fine already, and thinks that I don't need a nickname? O-or maybe because it's hard for her to make a nickname from my name?"

"Hmm...you don't suppose that she has another reason for not giving you one?" Riku implied. Monta nodded.

"W-what are you getting at...?" Sena was a bit scared at what he was going to say.

"Come on man! Can't you see it already?" Monta cried out.

"S-see what?" Monta and Riku facepalmed.

"Isn't it obvious? _Suzuna likes you!"_ They both exclaimed.

"Wha-wha-WHAAAAT? Y-you guys a-aren't serious, r-right...?" Sena is blushing profusely now. The two boys are staring at him. 'I guess not...'

"Come on guys. Stop joking around with me. It's impossible for Suzuna t-to like me."

"On the contrary, I think it is possible Sena." Riku smirked. Sena is still flustered. "Just look. Aside from the fact that she doesn't have a nickname for you, she hangs out with you _all _the time." He pointed out.

"Yeah! And I've noticed that you do more things with Suzuna more than me now...depression MAX..." Monta sulked.

"Ah! G-gomen! Demo, I didn't notice the things that you mentioned...and Monta, that's not true. You're still my bestfriend ok?" Sena said. But then Monta suddenly spoke up.

"Ok. But there's still more! I've got tons more proof!"

"I'm listening." Riku leaned against the wall.

"Yoshi! Sena, remember the time when you saved her from falling from a cliff?"

"What the? When was that?" Riku was shocked hearing this.

"Oh, you didn't know right? Well, it's around the time when we first met her. At that time, she was a part-time reporter digging out a scoop about Eyeshield 21's true identity. She challenged Sena to a race to determine whether she gets the scoop or not. Then, somewhere during the race I just found them hanging on a cliff, that was really scary, even for me." Monta told. "Anyway, she could have fallen for you for saving her!"

"She _could have _only." Sena argued.

"...continue." Riku was dumbfounded after hearing Monta's story.

"Proof #2. How about the time when you received a letter from Himuro-san? I remember Suzuna reacting to it. Do you think it's because she's jealous?"

"I-I don't think so..." Sena answered. Riku and Monta raised their eyebrows at this.

"On to the next one. After we won against Ojo in the Kanto Tournament _**[A/N: Uh, I'm not sure about this 'coz they didn't finish all the matches including the one in America in the anime...so I'm not sure when this happened, after the Christmas Bowl, after the match in America, etc. So, just bear with it, ok?] **_why were you shopping with Suzuna?"

"Hold on. How did you see that? Were you spying on us?"

"Of course not! We were just passing by the mall and just 'happened' to see you two." Monta quickly answered.

'So that's why I had that feeling that someone was watching us...wait...' Sena had a thought. "...we? You mean that someone else was watching us, aside from you?"

"Kuroki, Toganou, and even Mamori-san was with me the whole time." Monta didn't realize what he had just said.

"So you're saying you _were _watching us, along with the three people you mentioned?" Monta gulped. "Busted MAX. Sorry Sena."

"Daijobu. It's all in the past, right?"

"Right! But wait! There's more!"

"There is?" Sena sighed.

"Ahem. Last but certainly not the least! Riku!" Riku was a bit startled by his loud voice. "Yeah?"

"Do you remember when we were in America the night before our match against Militaria? After our dinner at the hotel, we didn't find Sena and Suzuna anywhere right?"

"Now that you mention it, I do remember them not being at the hotel. And along with Kongo Agon too." Riku and Monta felt a chill down their spines at the mention of Agon's name. They both looked at Sena.

"Ano...i-it was Suzuna's idea!" The two raised their eyebrows at him. Sena started blushing after that. "W-Well, at that time, we were following Agon-san...and we got on the trunk of the car he stole without him knowing...and before we knew it, we were carried along for the ride...ehehe." He scratched the back of his head.

"And you're saying that you two were all alone inside that tiny trunk?" Riku questioned. Both guys were still staring at him.

"C-come on guys, c-cut it out already."

"We're still not done yet Sena. Think about it. Why did Suzuna choose you to go with her in following Agon-san in the first place? I was there also, why didn't she picked me to go with her too?"

"B-because, maybe I w-was the nearest one to call?" The two shook their heads. "Okay, I don't know. Why?" He gulped. "Y-you don't mean...?"

They nodded. "Sena, try piecing everything we've said until now together. What conclusion can you make from it?" Sena stayed quiet. "It's making sense now, right?"

"Sure, i-it may seem like it...b-but! What you're saying is only a possibility! I-It's still not proven that she really d-does like me..." He's still blushing. "I-I'll go outside for a minute. Monta do you wanna come with me?" He looked at Riku, who nodded, and went after Sena.

'Geez Sena. You're so helpless. It's obvious that she likes you, and you like her also.' Riku thought. Meanwhile, Sena was walking, with Monta beside him, until he bumped into someone.

"Itai! (Ouch!)"

"Ah! Gomen! I wasn't looking and-"

"Sena?" He looked up and saw Suzuna.

'Speaking of the devil.' Monta thought to himself.

"Ya Sena! You know you really should watch where you're going. You looked like you're lost in thought. Is anything wrong?"

"N-no it's nothing! S-sorry for bumping into you. Gotta run now! Bye!" He grabbed the sleeve of Monta's jacket and dragged him with him.

"Ookaay...what was that all about?" Suzuna asked. Miharu shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway! Let's go back already! Rikkun's waiting and I haven't eaten my lunch yet!"

"Okay!" Miharu agreed.

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**Finished! Haa...so...how was it? Sorry for making you wait so long...but, here it is! Please tell me what you think. I tried making it shorter, and well, here it is! Although I must say I had a some difficulties dividing my story into chapters...please bear with it. If you have anything you don't understand or would like to be added in my story, please review! You know I accept crtiticisms! So don't hesitate! Come on and give me all you've got! Hehe...anyway, I don't know when I'll update the next one, so please be patient again. Ganbarimasu! (I'll do my best!) Ja na! (See 'ya later!) ^_^**

**P.S: Did you notice the references from the anime/manga? Whoever gets them all wins a cookie! (Hehe...just kidding) Anyway, some of you might think, "Why didn't you put all the SenaSuzu moments here?" Well, it's because the ones I put here are instances that suggest that _Suzuna _likes Sena. The others are instances where it suggests that _Sena _likes Suzuna...get it? I hope you do. ^_^**

**~ LightSpeed Athlete24**


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